Getting Ready

Strange sense of deja vu as we prepare for Hurricane Gustave. Three years ago Noah and I were visiting from Japan when we had to evacuate for Hurricane Rita. Yesterday I had to go to three different gas stations before I found one that still had gas left (and the storm still hasn't even entered the Gulf of Mexico yet!). Water and batteries are getting hard to find on store shelves, boards are going up on windows, and people are debating whether they should stay or go. I am pretty sure the kids and I will be leaving so in anticipation of that I am doing laundry and starting to pack....clothes, fireproof safe with all of our important papers, books and more books, snack food, bottled water, night time bunnies, games, puzzles, and anything else that might things a little more comfortable. I still need to bring our plants and outdoor toys/furniture inside. I also need to get more cash and write down important phone numbers in case I can't access my cell phone. Not sure when I'll be posting again, but please send good thoughts to the Gulf Coast.

On a different topic but related to Louisiana... Noah's class has been studying the ocean. He has come home with all sorts of interesting facts and questions about ocean life. And today they completed their study of the ocean with a seafood feast. As with most things Louisiana it seems to come back to the food! So instead of doing something predictable like a field trip to an aquarium or beach, they had a fun afternoon eating shrimp, crabs, fish, and an ocean made of blue jello, gummy fish, and cool whip waves! Only in Louisiana.

Body Art

Another recipe from The Ultimate Book of Kid Concoctions: "Magic Muck". Noah picked the recipe because of its transformative properties (alternating between a solid and liquid state). It is really strange stuff. Noah and I played with it for a little while but Camille was the one who really loved it. She decided to use it all over her body and I am happy to report it was very easy to clean up. Wouldn't say it is my favorite stuff to make, but I really loved watching how entranced Camille was by the strange texture and patterns she created on herself. Reminded me of a book we discovered at the library a few weeks ago, "I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!"...about a little girl who can't stop painting herself from head to toe. There is something so wonderful about children's natural curiosity and creativity.

Here's the recipe if anyone wants to try it out:

1. Mix 3/4 cup cornstarch with 5-7 drops food coloring [you can skip the color]
2. Slowly add cornstarch to 1/3 cup water and food coloring mixture. Do not stir!
3. Let the mixture stand for 2-3 minutes.
4. Pick up a handful of Magic Muck and squeeze it until it forms a hard ball. Open your hand and the Magic Muck will turn from a solid ball back into a liquid. (or cover your body with it like Camille and see what happens!)
   

Lego Pain

Is there anything more painful than stepping on Legos with all of your weight in the middle of the night? I have been trying to encourage Noah's renewed interest in Legos because his recent obsession with Transformers has been driving us crazy. More about that later, but seriously I thought stepping on Matchbox cars hurt, but that's nothing compared to little Lego bits. Shouldn't that be part of the toy development process? A pain scale for each toy? I am convinced that toys are designed by people who have never had children living in their homes. They have never had to endure horrible battery operated noises, extract small items from children's orifices, or seek medical attention for Lego induced pain. Ugh.

So any advice on ways to deal with Legos? Right now they are in a big box with a lid but they always end up on the floor during his search for the perfect little piece. I am trying to encourage him to put his pieces on a tray while building things but he isn't always crazy about that. He'd like to curl up on the couch and create. So what do you do about the Legos? And why is it that there are so many parenting books out there, but none of them have concrete advice like how to cope with Legos (organizationally and physically!).

And yes, I realize this is in direct contrast to my post last night waxing poetic about being outside. But this is our life right now...a series of contrasts, bliss, frustration, natural, and plastic.